Month: July 2021

Ubisoft has announced an upcoming free-to-play, FPS, Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, blending fast-paced 6-v-6 arena combat with faction-based abilities. XDefiant will available on PlayStation® 4, PlayStation® 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, and Ubisoft Connect, Luna and Stadia, with full crossplay expected at launch.

During the past 21 years, the Tom Clancy universe has become a major part of Ubisoft’s history and a reference for tactical shooters and immersive universes. Ubisoft is proud to announce the expansion of the Tom Clancy universe with a game that will let all the fans play with – and against – some of the most recognisable maverick groups from across fan-favourite franchises.

Developed by Ubisoft San Francisco and led by seasoned FPS expert Mark Rubin (Executive Producer) and Ubisoft San Francisco veteran Jason Schroeder (Creative Director), XDefiant brings players an all-new experience to Tom Clancy games. Factions, and the characters – Defiants – that make them up, are all inspired by Tom Clancy games and beyond. Whether players are looking to play competitively or casually, Tom Clancy’s XDefiant is sure to bring a thrilling experience for all. For those seeking an early look at the game, register now at playxdefiant.com for a chance to play early. The first test begins 5th August, and players are encouraged to sign up quickly for a chance to play first.*

XDefiant, a Ubisoft Original, is Ubisoft’s newest take on a competitive FPS that offers players a high-octane gameplay experience, combining fluid and visceral combat with unprecedented freedom and personalisation. XDefiant will immerse players at the forefront of the Tom Clancy universe at iconic locations in the throes of technicolor chaos, with a mix of indoor and outdoor maps, ensuring smooth gameplay and unpredictable engagements.

Watch the XDefiant Worldwide Reveal Trailer HERE.

Additional features include:

• Personalised Playstyle: Players can personalise their Defiant to match their playstyle. Players can choose a faction, traits, abilities, and ultras, then select from an arsenal of primary and secondary weapons, attachments, and a device to complete their loadout – and even tweak it on the fly (after respawning) to adapt to an ever-changing battlefield.
• Competitive Clashes: XDefiant offers a variety of competitive 6-v-6 arena and linear game modes, such as Domination and Escort. Combine that with a large pool of uniquely designed maps in rotation and no two matches will feel the same.
• Diverse Factions of Defiants: XDefiant will initially feature factions such as the Wolves (Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon), the Echelon (Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell) and the Outcasts and Cleaners (Tom Clancy’s The Division) battling across iconic locations. Additional Defiants will be added as the game evolves, drawing on a range of characters and abilities from the Tom Clancy universe … and beyond.
• Game modes: XDefiant will have a variety of game modes to match players’ unique playstyles and allow them to channel their team-based, competitive nature. Players can choose competitive modes like Team Deathmatch or Domination, as well as linear modes such as Escort.

Players can go to www.playxdefiant.com to register for upcoming news, information and game tests (the first test begins 5th August*)

* 5th August test only available for PC in the United States and Canada. Additional tests will be available later this year.

Support the game’s Kickstarter campaign  and get the access to the early alpha demo build available for backers in August 2021, right after Kickstarter campaign end. You can also add the game to your Steam Wishlist to follow the news about its development.

Watch the Medic: Pacific War Kickstarter trailer HERE.

Look at the horrors of war from an entirely new perspective. Enter the battlefield equipped with a first aid kit instead of a rifle. Bandage, stop hemorrhages, get the wounded off the battlefield, but most of all, bring hope where there’s none and salvation to those who think their lives have come to an end.

ABOUT MEDIC: PACIFIC WAR

Medic: Pacific War is a single-player TPP action simulation game offering a unique take on the Pacific War that’s inspired by historic events, movies, and TV series such as Pearl Harbor, Hacksaw Ridge, Midway, Saving Private Ryan, and The Pacific. Become a true hero. Survive the horrors of the battlefield, dodge bullets, and bring salvation to the wounded. Be their last hope in the chaotic reality of the Pacific Front. Resuscitate, patch up, and carry soldiers to safety, all to change the course of the battle. Most importantly, be ready for the hardest choice every medic must make: decide who lives and who dies. Resources are limited, time is running out, and not everyone’s chances of survival are equal.

Bigger, Bolder and Colder

By Garrett Carver @ Tom’s Hardware

Corsair’s history in the all-in-one liquid cooling niche goes back more than a decade and spans dozens of models, more than a few of which have graced our list of best AIO coolers. But the new H170i Elite Capellix is the company’s largest ever AIO, featuring a massive 420 radiator (3x140mm). Of course, it also sports a Corsair pump controlled by the company’s iCue system management and monitoring suite, along with a standalone Commander Core lighting and fan controller, plus a trio of ML140 RGB fans. As you might imagine by its size along the H170i Elite Capellix comes equipped to cool just about any desktop processor on the market today.

Read the Review Here

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA has released the latest version of GeForce Game Ready drivers. Version 471.41 WHQL comes with support for Windows 11, including a WDDM 3.0 compliant display driver, making it NVIDIA’s first official driver for the upcoming operating system. In addition, the drivers introduce DLSS performance enhancement on Red Dead Redemption 2 and Chernobylite. The drivers also introduce CUDA 11.4 support.

Among the issues fixed are lack of hardware acceleration on Capture One; HUD loss issues on Valorant; a game freeze noticed with DOOM Eternal; League of Legends failing to launch; mouse pointer issues with certain DSC monitors in HDR mode; blurry Ansel depth-of-field in certain games; display resolution being limited to 640×480 on some monitors after updating from older drivers; distorted HDMI audio playback on 8K displays connected via HDMi 2.1, and HDMI audio drop-outs on LG C9 OLED TVs.

You can download the GeForce 471.41 WHQL Game Ready drivers via GeForce.com.

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

• Alphacool Announces Apex Soft & Rise Ultra Soft Thermal Pads
• Kingston FURY Series Launches With DDR3, DDR4 and SODIMM Options
• Thermaltake Unveils The Tower 100 Mini Chassis in Turquoise and Racing Green
• AMD Will Release Radeon RX 6600 and 6600XT on August 11
• Phanteks Launches 850W and 1000W AMP 80Plus Gold Power Supplies
• Gigabyte Launches AMD X570S Gaming X Motherboard
• MSI Announces MPG Quietude 100S Silent Case
• MSI Also Announces MEG Silent Gale 12 Fan
• ASUS TUF Gaming Introduces the VG32AQL1A Monitor
• MSI MPG ARTYMIS 343C QR Gaming Monitor Announced

Join the fight on CompanyOfHeroes.com and play the Pre-Alpha Preview today!

The legendary strategy franchise is back, combining heart-pounding combat with new layers of strategy in a breathtaking Mediterranean setting. Relic Entertainment™ and SEGA® Europe Ltd. are thrilled to reveal that Company of Heroes™ 3, the latest instalment in the critically acclaimed strategy franchise, is coming to PC in 2022! Those eager to get their hands on the game won’t have to wait until then – visit CompanyOfHeroes.com to join CoH-Development and get access to the Pre-Alpha Preview for Company of Heroes 3 via Steam right now!

Watch the announcement trailer HERE.

Watch the gameplay reveal trailer HERE.

Mediterranean Theatre & New Features

Company of Heroes 3 is bringing the series’ intimate boots-on-the-ground storytelling to a brand-new theatre of war, unlocking authentic new tactics, factions, and a wealth of untold stories from World War II. The Mediterranean is a place of immense variety, from windswept Italian mountain passes to harsh North African deserts and coastal vistas. On this new frontline, intelligence trumps speed.

In Company of Heroes 3, the critically acclaimed Company of Heroes gameplay has been enhanced with authentic new features, making for the deepest tactical experience to date – all powered by the Essence Engine 5, the latest evolution of Relic’s proprietary real-time strategy technology. On the Dynamic Campaign Map, players command ground, air and naval forces and build supply lines as they lead the Allies’ campaign to retake mainland Italy from the entrenched Axis forces. The long-term choices you make here will affect not only the battles you fight, but the story of the war itself.

In single-player modes, Full Tactical Pause gives players a new level of tactical control over the pacing on the battlefield. By freezing the action, players who choose to employ Full Tactical Pause will be able to coordinate all their actions at once, thinking through every move in detail without the pressure of doing it all in real-time.

“We’re really excited for players to experience Company of Heroes 3 right from the pre-alpha stage and to receive their valuable feedback,” said Justin Dowdeswell, General Manager at Relic Entertainment. “We’ve been co-developing the game with some of our fantastic community members for years now, and they have been instrumental in providing consistent and meaningful feedback at every step of the development process. We are ready to expand that program in a massive way with our fans around the world via our CoH-Development program, which has been made possible by Amplitude Studios™’ superb Games2Gether platform.”

New ships will feature a new type of armament – Airstrike

World of Warships, the widely popular free to play naval combat game from developer and publisher, Wargaming, has released Update 0.10.6 making available Dutch Cruisers in early access, two seasons of Brawls, and more visual and technical improvements.

Watch the update video HERE.

The main event for Update 0.10.6 is the addition of Dutch Tier IV-IX cruisers in Early Access. These mighty ships have high caliber firepower, rock solid armor at high tiers and great maneuverability, but a short firing range.

Starting from Tier VI, they will come equipped with a brand-new type of armament – Airstrike. Based on real world examples of the low altitude bombing principle, it will allow players to call in aircraft and have it bombard the specified area with HE bombs. These explosives are equipped with drogue parachutes to slow their descent, and prevent planes being hit by the shrapnel.

The AI controlled aircraft will have a maximum operating distance of 10–13 km and it won’t be able to spot enemies. It will however be highly effective against low-mobility targets such as battleships and large cruisers. This ability gives players a fresh way to strike enemy ships hiding behind the cover of islands.

To access new Dutch cruisers for free, players will need to complete combat mission groups and earn a new temporary resource – Dutch Tokens. The same resource will be available in free daily bundles, random bundles for doubloons, and in bundles for community tokens.

Besides the ships, players are able to obtain the Kinderdijk Windmill patch, a commemorative flag and themed camouflages.

Finally, to celebrate the event the historical Rotterdam port has been added, which authentically recreates the look of the famous harbor city from the 1950s.

Update 0.10.6 will also feature two seasons of Brawls. All players will be able to participate in 3 vs 3 battles on Tier VI and Tier VII ships.

A number of visual and other enhancements have also been made, including the updated AI that will result in more realistic behavior of bots. In addition, a Hall of Fame tab has been added to Clan Battles, showcasing the winners of previous seasons.

Visit the official World of Warships website now for more game info and to sign up to play World of Warships for free!

The Strategy Wargamer has interviewed Tomislav Čipčić, the lead designer of the game. In this episode of the Jean’s podcast you can find more details about: map design, hex-and-counter games, turn-based and real-time systems, AI programming and more.

You can listen to this interview HERE

New Gameplay Video
Panzer Division Games has released a second part of their gameplay video for Attack at Dawn: North Africa. In this video, the designer plays a game scenario “Battle of Alam el Halfa”, trying to win the day. The video shows new, illustrated unit counters, fast switching between Turn-Based and Real-Time modes of play, reworked AI and more.

You can watch the gameplay video HERE.

Map Series
The gameplay is followed by the battle map series, exploring the battles and operations that took place during the WW2 North African Campaign. The scenario shown in this gameplay video is Battle of Alam el Halfa. It was the last big Axis offensive in the Western Desert Campaign, and it took place between 30 August and 5 September 1942, at the El Alamein line. It was an Allied victory, and a prelude to the Second battle of El Alamein.

For full article describing the battle – you can go to the game’s website.

About The Game
Attack at Dawn: North Africa is an operational level wargame set in WW2 North African theatre. It features 3 campaigns, and 15 scenarios which can be played in solo or multiplayer modes. It can be played as a real-time, or turn-based (WeGo) game. The game begins with the German troops probing into the Libyan region of Cyrenaica, and finishes either with the total defeat of German-Italian Panzer Armee, or with the British loss of Egypt and their retreat across the Suez Canal.

For Steam website and wishlist, visit HERE.

Field of Glory II: Medieval returns with its second DLC “Swords and Scimitars“. Set in the 11th to 13th centuries AD, the game focuses on the Crusades and the Byzantine Empire’s decline from their previously strong 11th century position.

In 1071, the Empire suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Seljuq Turks at the Battle of Manzikert. These recently converted, islamic nomads took nearly all of Anatolia under Alp Arslan’s expert leadership.

As the Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos struggled, an appeal to the west for mercenary support was seized upon by Pope Urban II. In 1095 he called for a Crusade both to recover holy land and to further his own ends at the Council of Clermont.

The timing was fortuitously right, as the mighty Seljuq Empire had begun to fragment, allowing the First Crusade to eventually capture Jerusalem in 1099. The creation of “Crusader States” following on from this success would lead to two centuries of bitter conflict.

Several major Crusades were to follow, as the Crusader states fought for their existence against a succession of resurgent Islamic states.

Meanwhile, further East, a far greater threat to Islamic civilisation was emerging. The rapidly expanding Mongols had destroyed the Khwarazmian Shahdom by 1231, the Christian kingdom of Georgia in 1239, and the Seljuqs were defeated and forced into vassaldom by 1243.

In 1258 the Assassins of Alamut, and the vestigial remains of the once great Abbasid Caliphate, had also been conquered. Only the Mamluks of Egypt were able to finally bring the Mongol advance to an end, with their victory at Ain Jalut in 1260.

In the Balkans the Byzantine Empire had retained some of its former glory until 1204, when the Fourth Crusade broke the back of the Empire, leaving them a minor state shattered into four fragments.

These are the backgrounds, stories and wars that lead to the new DLC, which will include:

• 20 more nations and factions covering South Eastern Europe and the Middle East from 1040 AD to 1270 AD. These include Arabs (Syria/Iraq), Armenians (Cilician), Bulgarians, Byzantines (Main Empire, also Nikaia, Epiros and Trebizond), Crusaders, Cypriots (Lusignan Kingdom), Dailami, Fatimid Egyptians, Georgians, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Indians (Rajput, other Hindu, Muslim), Khwarazmians, Latin States in Greece, Mamluk Egyptians, Mongols (Ilkhanids), Pechenegs, Seljuq Turks, Serbians and Syrian States.
• 35 more units (11 brand new, 24 new to Medieval), allowing the troops of all of the new factions to be accurately represented.
• 41 more army lists allowing historically realistic armies for each of the above factions and their allies at different dates during the period.
• 8 more historical scenarios covering key engagements of the period on an epic scale. These include Manzikert 1071, Dorylaeum 1097, Ascalon 1099, Sirmium 1167, Arsuf 1191, La Forbie 1244, Homs 1281 and Kili 1299.
• 4 more historically-based campaigns covering major leaders and conflicts of the era: Alexios Komnenos, The First Crusade, Manuel Komnenos, Saladin.
• Sandbox campaign expanded to include all the new army lists.
• Time Warp custom battles modules expanded to include all the new army lists.

Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD has released the latest version of Radeon Software Adrenalin. Version 21.7.1 beta introduces optimization for F1 2021, with a 6% performance improvement seen at 4K UHD on an RX 6800 XT, over the previous drivers. Support is also introduced for the new Radeon RX 6700M and RX 6600M mobile GPUs.

Among the issues fixed are an Oculus service error preventing the Oculus Link setup from running on machines with RX 5000 and RX 6000 series graphics cards; lighting corruption noticed in Apex Legends with Radeon Boost enabled; AMD User Experience Program consuming abnormally high memory; driver version mismatch between Windows Store and AMD Support versions; high memory usage on some running 3DMark Time Spy; and an image corruption in Carrion with AF enabled.

The Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.7.1 drivers are available online at the AMD driver download page.